ELF CAM

An elf caught on camera, moving about your house

Upload photos of your shelves, sideboard and living room. We turn them into a night-vision security monitor where a small elf tiptoes about when it thinks nobody is watching, ready for the kids to find in the morning.

Drag photos hereYour camera roll is fine

4, 9 or 16 photos of your house, garden or venue

JPG, PNG or HEIC. Phone photos are perfect.

Photos start you with Elf on the move. Want another? Pick a style card instead.

Not sure yet? Try one elf camera for $7: one photo, one clip. The $7 comes off a full plan if you buy within 30 days.

FUNNY AND MAGICAL, FOR EVERYONE

Elf on the moveA small, mischievous elf caught moving about the house at night.For example: A tiny elf creeps along the sideboard, freezes when the camera catches it, then scurries off.START WITH THIS Santa gets caughtFunny, not frightening: Santa and his elves caught on camera.For example: Santa tiptoes in, eats the mince pie, and gets stuck on the way out.START WITH THIS Winter magicSnow, lights and something wonderful passing by.For example: Snow falls past the window as reindeer cross the yard, their breath steaming.START WITH THIS

Made from a real photo

These clips were made the same way yours will be: from an ordinary night photo, on the same monitor frame.

CAM 01 · LAKE PLAZA

ELF ON THE MOVEA small elf climbs onto the fence rail, tiptoes along it, freezes when it notices the camera, then hops down and scurries off.

A mischievous elf, on your own cameras

Families have moved a shelf elf about the house for years, and the kids always ask what it gets up to at night. This is the answer: a security monitor where the elf is caught moving.

You upload 4, 9 or 16 photos of your own rooms. We turn each into a night-time security camera still, you name the cameras, and AI makes looping clips for every one. The elf uses the real shelves, steps and corners in your photos.

What the kids see

You open a private link on the TV, a tablet or a laptop. It looks like a real 90s security console, with a ticking clock, REC blinking and cameras that drop to NO SIGNAL and come back. On the cameras you chose, a small elf creeps along, peeks round things and freezes the moment it notices the lens.

The clips are AI-made from your photos, so they are not real camera footage. Whether to tell the kids is up to you.

Tips for a better elf cam

Photograph the places an elf would really go: the mantelpiece, the sideboard, the bookshelf, the top of the stairs. Take the pictures from a high corner, with a clear stretch of shelf or floor, and keep real elf dolls out of the shot so there is only one elf in the scene.

Name the cameras like a real system: LIVING ROOM, KITCHEN, HALLWAY. Put the monitor on the TV on the morning the elf has been busy.

How long it takes and what it costs

Filming takes about an hour once you press start, so order a day or two ahead.

Party is $99 for a 2×2 grid: 4 cameras, 12 clips. Haunt is $199 for a 3×3 grid: 9 cameras, 27 clips. You can also try one camera first for $7, and that comes off a full Christmas plan if you buy within 30 days. You can refund yourself any time before generation starts.

Good for

Show the kids what the elf got up to overnight
Put a camera on the shelf where the elf lives
Name a camera after the room the elf visits
Send the link to the grandparents for Christmas morning
Download a clip to share with the family group chat

Pay once. Keep it.

Add to your monitor

Extra scare on every camera +$5 a cameraA second creepy clip per camera, so the night never repeatsSecond story +$19Another thing that moves through your cameras, one after anotherRush +$15Your monitor first in the queueYour brand on the console +$29Your business name instead of the security company's, and a worn sticker made with your logo

Haunt, 9 cameras, 27 clips$199

Pay once, no subscription. Refund in one click until filming starts.

Why it costs what it does

Every clip is made fresh for your place on the best AI there is, because cheaper AI gets the details wrong: people the wrong size, feet sliding, someone melting into the floor. The best costs more per second, and we pay for every second.

THE MOST REALISTIC VIDEO: The people and the scares are filmed on the most realistic video AI there is, and the most expensive: about 16 cents for every second of footage.
YOUR ROOMS, AT NIGHT: Each photo becomes a night-time security still that keeps your real rooms, furniture and doors where they are.
WATCHED BEFORE YOU SEE IT: Every clip is planned for its camera, then watched frame by frame when it's done. One that looks wrong is filmed again, on us.

A Haunt monitor is 27 clips, about 6 minutes of footage, made for your place alone.

Questions

Is there an app to catch an elf on camera?

There is nothing to install. You upload your photos in the browser, and the elf cam plays as a private web page on any phone, tablet, laptop or TV.

Can I use it for our family's shelf elf tradition?

Yes. It is a small elf in a red and green outfit moving about your rooms at night. Cursed Cam is not affiliated with or endorsed by the makers of The Elf on the Shelf or any other elf brand.

Is it real footage?

No. The clips are AI-made from your photos. They are made to look like security footage, and they are not recordings of anything that happened.

Is it free?

No. A full elf cam starts at $99 for four cameras, and you can try one camera first for $7. The $7 comes off a full Christmas plan if you buy within 30 days.

Is it suitable for young children?

Elf on the move is written to be funny and gentle, with nothing frightening. This page shows only the gentle styles.

What if I change my mind after buying?

You can refund yourself any time before generation starts. Once your clips are being made, we can't refund, because the AI compute is spent.